CVE-2026-93106: crash_dump: release keyring reference at the correct time

Severity: unknown
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-09-17 · updated 2026-10-19

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crash_dump: release keyring reference at the correct time restore_dm_crypt_keys_to_thread_keyring() gets a reference to the user keyring before restoring the saved dm-crypt keys. The same keyring reference is then passed to add_key_to_keyring() for each saved key, but add_key_to_keyring() drops that reference on every call. This is only balanced when exactly one key is restored. With multiple keys, the keyring reference is dropped too many times and may trigger a refcount underflow or use-after-free. When more than five keys are restored, a refcount underflow/use-after-free warning can be triggered. The early error paths after lookup_user_key() also return without dropping the keyring reference. Keep ownership of the keyring reference in restore_dm_crypt_keys_to_thread_keyring(), drop it once on all exit paths, and make add_key_to_keyring() only use the reference without consuming it.

Affected products

Linux kernel: 6.16 — fixed in 7.3

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 7.3. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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